Work, self-esteem tied tightly together, Gallup survey says

9:49 PM,
Aug. 31, 2013

NEW MUG: Gannett At Work columnist Andrea Kay. (Gannett/File/2012)

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Andrea Kay
Gannett

Work means so much to us Americans that without it some people don't want to get out of bed in the morning.

That is likely one reason unemployed adults and those not working as much as they would like are twice as likely to be depressed as Americans employed full time.

That's the conclusion of a Jan. 1-July 25 survey of more than 100,000 Americans conducted by the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index. It says 16.6 percent of unemployed Americans are depressed compared to 5.6 percent of those who work full time. ...